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ArchiveBorn 1977 in London, United Kingdom
With performances which often test physiological boundaries, William Hunt succeeds in provoking an almost intolerable unease. While the dangerous situations he continually puts himself in place him under enormous physical strain, they catapult the viewer into a frightening yet absurd emotional state. Not only do we wish that the artist’s apparently hopeless predicament swiftly concludes with a happy ending, we ourselves hope the situations, often pushed to the existential edge, will be resolved rapidly. Only the comedy of the situation, an aspect rarely lacking, succeeds in lifting this unease.
These qualities ensured that Hunt’s performance in 2007 at Art Unlimited in Basel, “Put Your Foot Down”, remained lodged in many visitors’ memories. Locked inside a BMW filled with water, the artist astounded the audience by delivering a twenty-minute vocal recital, turning the expensive vehicle into a podium from which to sing.
 William Hunt, Even As You See Me now, Photograph, 5 + 1 AP, 60.4 x 44.3 cm, 2008. |
